1993 BMW 3 Series Hartge H3 2.8

Description

• UNSOLD at auction October 2023 
• Warranted mileage of 47,700 miles 
• Seriously exclusive BMW 
• Present owner since 2009 
• Known provenance 
• Comes with private number plate 
• £25k of Hartge Performance Upgrades 

Hartge was a German tuning company known for its performance modifications to various BMW models, renowned for its engine modifications. The H3 features a more powerful engine with increased horsepower and torque, resulting in improved acceleration and top speed. 

To complement the increased power, the suspension system is upgraded for better handling and stability with a lowered ride height, sportier springs, and performance dampers being part of the package. 

Not just that, typically the BMW would be fitted with lighter wheels, bigger brakes, a body kit and many other enhancements.   

Renowned, not just within BMW circles but known throughout the tuning world as one of the best BMW tuners out there. It didn’t come cheap to make what was already a fantastic package into an even better one, this meant you were joining an extremely exclusive club at the time. 30 years later the club is even more exclusive. Just try and find one now, you’ll be hard pushed. 

This particular BMW Hartge H3 has a very interesting story. Firstly, our vendor shared that he has owned it since 2009 but knew the car for some time as it originally belonged to his father’s good friend. At the time he coveted the car immensely as the M3 was touted as the best “Drivers” car available at the time.  This Hartge H3 example was so much more exclusive and arguably an improvement on that title. 

The next step of the journey meant it became ever closer to being in our vendors hands; his father purchased the car to use and enjoy.  Unfortunately, life took over and he didn’t use it as much as he expected and it sat untouched for a few years.  That was the signal for our vendor to “badger” his dad until he eventually buckled, sold him the car and our vendor’s dream was complete. 

He enjoyed the car for some time but within less than two years it went into storage; he felt it was just too precious to be used as a daily driver. Purchased with 39k mileage and now sitting at 47,700 warranted miles he had his enjoyment prior to it being cossetted away. 

Our vendor has decided that it is just not getting to be enjoyed as much as it should and is parting with his childhood dream so that someone else can enjoy it. 

It will be supplied with the V5 in our vendors name, the private plate FIL 792, a very large history file, the owner’s manual and an MOT that expires on 13th July 2024. 

It should be noted that all the original Hartge paperwork from the renowned Birds Garage in Uxbridge is all present and intact in the file, there is even a fantastic print of the history from when it was first purchased by a Mr Eric Davies in 1994 who subsequently sent it straight to Birds to have the 2.8i Hartge H3 performance package fitted. 

The package consists of: 

• Engine bored to 2.8 litres 
• Hartge Pistons, crank and con rods 
• ECU calibration 
• Stainless steel Hartge Exhaust 

This improved the engine performance immensely with it now producing 240bhp and 220 lb ft of torque. 

• The body was then totally stripped with the wheel arches flared to accommodate the 18” Racing Dynamics wheels and lowered suspension. 
• It was then given a full respray in Diamond Black, the original factory colour 
• A Group N close ration box was fitted allowing a document 180mph. 
• The body kit fitted including Hartge Side Skirts, Hamman front and rear spoilers, genuine M3 Mirrors, an AC Snitzer Carbon Fibre diffuser, Hartge carpets, gear and handbrake levers and gaiters. 
• One thousand pounds of Alpine in car entertainment (ICE) 

All the above came at the cost of £25,000, this was in 1994 so we dread to think what that would have cost in today’s money, especially when you add that to the original cost of the standard car. 

The BMW Hartge was then used by Birds as a show car/demonstrator. 

A very exclusive club indeed. 

Outside. 

OK so what’s the car like now?  Our vendor has been very honest and pointed out some issues to the inside of the car, of which we will come to later, but the outside and underneath are in incredible condition. 

As you will see from the image gallery the Hartge H3 has retained all the original Hartge extras and presents remarkably well, with no evidence anywhere of accident damage. All the shut lines look BMW perfect; the paintwork is full of lustre and apart from a small scuff and car park dent on the quarter panel the car is remarkably damage free. Not bad at all for a 30-year-old car. Close inspection does show a little wear here and then, namely on the nearside front bumper trim, the same on the offside rear bumper trim and what looks like a little paint reaction in the rear boot spoiler. 

The underside of the vehicle is mightily impressive, check out the gallery and you will see our vendor has gone to the trouble of getting the Hartge H3 on a ramp, this shows the original powder coated roll bar in green to match the Hartge cam cover and is original from Hartge. It also shows the new wishbones, the extremely clean subframe and cleanliness of the car in general. Even the common jacking point rust is missing. 

The Racing Dynamics 18” wheels are perfect and still have the green and blue centre caps in place. 

A very impressive looking car indeed. 

Inside 

Open the door to the cabin and you will see the first and only parts that let down this special car. Okay, it’s not the end of the world and probably wouldn’t take much to put it right but the driver’s door pad is in need of attention, unfortunately, our vendor has not been able to find a trimmer locally at this time, and there is a small split in the door shut rubber. 

The seats are in great condition and with a little elbow grease and some leather treatment would present extremely well in our opinion. The Hartge Mats are still protecting the original carpets and contrast perfectly with the Hartge alloy pedals. 

The Hartge Carbon trimmed three spoke steering wheel tells you immediately that you are not sitting in any old BMW. The dash, in typical BMW bulletproof condition, presents extremely well and houses that upgraded Alpine CD head unit. Everything works as it should, even the digital display on the computer; the dot matrix display is notoriously prone to drop some of its bulbs, no issues here. 

Unfortunately, the headlining has started to sag so that will need some attention at some point. 

Clearly, we have two issues that need attention but as a whole, the interior is typical BMW with a splash of Hartge magic. Not a lot needed for this to be a very impressive place to be in our opinion, align that with what’s coming next, and you really are in a special BMW indeed. 

Engine and transmission 

Not only does the styling alert you to something being very special about this car but lift the bonnet and you will have all those suspicions realised. Straight away you will spot the green anodised Engine cover with the big red 2.8 and Hartge emblem confirming that this is no ordinary BMW (please note that the V5 still states a 1991cc engine). You won’t miss the oversized air filter and Hartge upper strut bar either.  It’s probably prudent to mention our vendor will supply the original airbox to the winning bidder should they want to reinstate it to the complete Hartge package. 

All fitted snugly in a very clean and well-presented engine bay that shows no signs or rust, crash damage, wear or even any signs of dirt come to think of it. Very nice indeed. 

Fire the engine up and the noise coming out of the Hartge stainless steel exhaust is stunning, with such low mileage and a service carried out less than 400 miles ago we would expect no less. 

Without repeating the detail outlined above, this engine has been treated to the full Hartge performance package that will truly encourage you to risk your license every time you hear that exhaust note. Our advice would be to take it on a tour of Europe and truly enjoy the serious performance that this special car will deliver. 

With the added suspension package and the amount of work that our vendor has carried out, the chassis is easily capable of handling all the power. That was the beauty of the full Hartge package; they didn’t just rebuild the engine and hope you take it easy, no, not Hartge, they sorted everything from the aerodynamics to the suspension and the all-important brakes. 

Our vendor shared that the original Bilstein shocks have now been replaced with New Bilstein Coil overs, refurbished front callipers, new pads and hoses have all been fitted and even the disks which were bespoke made in Birmingham to the original spec have been fitted. Being extremely pedantic our vendor did not just want to replace the bushes; he replaced the bottom wishbones instead.  Why not when you are doing so much work under there. 

As expected, this BMW Hartge H3 is ready to go and drives exceptionally well, just remember to keep an eye on the speedo as it will encourage you to push a little more than you normally would. You have been duly warned…  

Our view 

Where do we start, it is usually quite easy to share our view but, on this occasion, we are still salivating on the exclusivity of this very special BMW Hartge H3. With so few of these left we really do see it being a popular auction. Where else can you find what was originally seen as an improvement to the mighty BMW M3? 

Can you imagine purchasing a brand-new car and then spending the same money making it better – well that is pretty much what happened with this perfectly designed BMW and was it worth it? We think so and so do so many others; these really were at the top of the tree back in the day. Let’s be honest, it probably still is.   

A 47k warranted mileage, an underside you could eat your dinner off, a wonderfully original and well-presented example of the super rare BMW Hartge H3.  What’s not to love.